Piano.



. Patented Dec. 3|, |901. VF. R. SCHMID.

PIANo. (Application filed Feb. B, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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Patented Dec. 3l, |901. F. R. SCHMID.r

PIANO. Y

(Applicatiqn filed Tab. 8, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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- UNITED STATES PATENT CEFICE.

JENNIE L. SCHMID, OF 'CARTHAGE NEW YORK.

PIANO.

SPECIFICATION fer-mingpert of Letters Patent No. 690,035, dated December 31, 1901. Application filed February 8,1901. Serial No. 46,480. (No model.)

T0 all when@ t may concern: l

Be it known that- I, FRANK RUDOLPH SCHMID, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carthage, in the county of Jeit'erson and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pianos; and/I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification,

This invention relates improvements in pianos, and especially to certain features of construction whereby faults common in pianos having a full ironplate covering, whichcovers the whole wrestplank and which prevents pianos from staying in tune any considerable length of time,

In my improvements I decreasethe size of the iron-plate covering and increase the thickness of the wrest-plank, and by placing the tuning-pins through the thickcned part of the wrest-plank I reduce the leverage of thestring upon the tuning-pins' ina large measure, and by this construction the tuning-pins have a greater hold upon the wrest-plank than in pianos of ordinary construction having a full iron-plate covering. By reducing the pull on the tuning-pins'I add correspondingly to the resisting power of the tuning-pins by theirbeing seated in and having a greater hold upon the -wrest-plank.

features whereby I improve upon the tonal lquality of the upper register of the piano,

giving it a clear, bell -like tone so much sought after, and to accomplish this `I arch the treble-bar in my piano-plate, which obviates the necessity of cutting the belly-bridge at the point at which the treble-bar crosses. As the sound-waves follow the long fibers of the wood, by cutting the bridge these waves are necessarily interrupted, and the distribution and iow ofthe tone over the soundingboard would be by such cutting impaired.

The invention relates, further, to certain details of construction, which will be hereintifo new and i useful" after more fully described, and then specifically defined in the appended claims, and is clearly illustrated in accompanying drawings, which, with the characters of reference marked thereon, form part of thisapplication, similar characters of reference indicating like parts in the two views, in which- Figure I is a front elevation of the treble end oE the piano-works; and Fig. 2 isa sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 'l vertically through the piano, parts being shown in elevation.

Reference ybeing had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the posts at the upperend of the piano-back, which .form the foundation for the Wrest-plank. This wrest-plank is made up preferably of several layers (indicated by numerals l, 2, 3, 4, 5,

and 6) and a base portion B of the hardest kind of quarter-saw'n rock-maple, which are glued together, so that their grain runs in opposite directions. In these layers, forming the wrest-plank, the pins C are seated.

My invention as so far described differs from the common construction of pianos in the addition of the extra three layers or strips 1, 2, and 3 ot wood forming a thickened portion of the wrest-plank, which are located beyond and contiguous to the marginal edge of the iron .covering-plate,the lower end of which terminates at 4. The space ordinarly occupied by lthese three eXtra sections thickening the wrest-plankk is ordinarily occupied by acontinuation of the iron covering-plate C.' Where this'plate covers the en- The Vinvention relates, further, to certainl tire wrest-plank, apertures are made through the iron plate, with a slight space intervening between the marginal Wall of the aperture and the pin, so as to avoid contact of the tuning-pin with the metallic edge, which vcauses a metallic quality of'tone. By shortening the Airon coveri'ngplate, having the same terminate at` the point D, Fig. 2 `ot` the drawings,and placing the tu ning-pins through IOO gages under the lower edges of a portion of the strips making up the wrest-plank, and being securely held thereto renders the pulling down of the wrest-plank impossible.

E designates the sounding board of my piano, which is shown as resting at one end upon the lower portion B of the wrest-plank. Adjacent to the lower end of the base portion B of the wrest-plank on which the soundingboard rests is a cut-away portion N, which extends over a large area of the treble end of the piano, thus allowing a larger space underneath the extreme treble end of the instrument.

Projecting from the iron covering-plate O is a bridge G, over which the bass-strings ofv thev instrument pass and are held in position thereon by means of pins g. The strings in the treble part of the instrument are held by tuning-pins H, which pass through the wrestplank, also the iron covering-plate, and the treble-strings (one of which is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings) are secured to these pins H and in a lower plane than the plane in which the bass strings are located. Said treble-strings rest upon the bridge C2, which is integral with the iron covering-plate opposite the ange portion F thereof, and a pressure-bar K is fastened by screws or other suitable means to the wrest-plank and held securely against the treble-strings at a location between the pins II and the bridge L designates a bridge upon which the treblestrings are held by means of the pins L, and L2 designates a portion ofthe bridge which is crossed by the treble-bar M, which is arched. This treble-bar is arched, as at N', at a location where it crosses said portion L2, thus avoiding. the necessity of cutting the bridge, which would impair the efficiency of the instrument.

C designates a raised portion of the iron covering-plate on which the treble-strings rest.

In Fig.l 2 of the drawings the keyboard Q is shown resting upon a shoulder or bracket portion of the treble-bar.

R designates one of the treble-hammers, parts being broken away between the keyboard and said striker-head.

From the foregoing it will be observed that by reducing the size ofthe iron covering-plate and thickening the wrest-plank beyond the margin of said plate I provide an extra thickness of the layers of the wrest-plank in which to locate the tuning-pins, which will decrease the leverage on the strings, and the tuningpins will have a larger bearing upon the Wrest-plank than would be the case if the covering-plate extended to the upper end of the wrest-plank and the pins passed through apertures therein. By cutting away the wrestplank adjacent to the flanged portion of the covering-plate I provide a large soundingboard space at the treble end of the piano and by the arching of the treble-bar where it crosses the belly-bridge avoid the necessity of cutting same, which would interfere with the flow of the sound-waves which' follow the long fiber of the wood. By cutting the bridge the distribution and fiow of the tono over the sounding-board is greatly interrupted.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a piano, a covering-plate, a wrestplank made up of sections having an extrathickened portion beyond the marginal edge of said covering-plate, the latter terminating against the lower edges of the sections of said thickened portion, a portion of said coveringplate engaging the edges of other sections of the wrest-plank, and serving. as an additional support to said wrest-plank, as set forth.

2. In a piano, a covering-plate, a wrestg plank having a thickened portion extending beyond the marginal edge of said coveringplate, the latter terminating against the extra-thickened portion of said Wrest-plank, the outer face ofsaid thickened portion of the Wrestplank extending beyond the outer face of the covering-plate, a bridge and a flange on said plate said flange bearing against the wrest-plank, as set forth.

3. In a piano, a` covering-plate, a Wrestplank extending beyond the marginal edge of said plate, a flange F of said plate enga,.- ing the said rarest-plank, a portion of said plank having a curved recess, a soundingboard resting on the latter adjacent to said curved recess, and arib C? opposite said flange, as set forth.

4. In a piano, a covering-plate, a wrest plank having a thickenedportion beyond the outer margin of said plate, a flange on said plate engaging the wrest-plank, and aV sounding-board resting on a cut-away portion` ot' the Wrest-plank, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflixmy signature in presence 'of two Witnesses.

FRANK RUDQLPH SCHMID.

Witnesses:

WILBUR A. PORTER, HENRY BRADY.

IOC 

